James Beard's New Fish Cookery (32 page)

Stuff the fillets with the forcemeat, roll and pin with toothpicks. Poach them in boiling salted water according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 12). Arrange them on a hot platter, cover with sauce velouté flavored with a little lemon juice, surround with mushroom caps sautéed in butter, and sprinkle with parsley.

WHITING CREOLE

2 tablespoons butter

1 onion, chopped

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped green pepper

1/2 cup chopped pimiento

3 cups canned tomatoes

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 tablespoons water

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Chopped parsley

6 small whiting

Melt the butter, add the onion, and let it brown lightly. Add the celery, pepper, and pimiento and sauté for a few minutes. Add the tomatoes; bring it to a boil and simmer for 1 hour. Mix the cornstarch and water, add it to the sauce and stir until thickened. Season to taste and add parsley. Put the fish in the sauce and let them cook according to the Canadian cooking theory for braising (page 11).

Yellowtail

The Pacific Coast yellowtail is a juicy fish with a rather heavy texture, but with a really pleasant flavor. It is a good game fish, always plentiful in the spring and early summer.

Yellowtail is sold in the markets whole, or as fillets or steaks.

BROILED YELLOWTAIL

For broiling, select steaks 11/2 to 2 inches thick. It is a good idea to marinate them before broiling. Try a marinade of olive or peanut oil and white wine or sherry. Soak the steaks for 1 hour, and baste them with this sauce during the broiling process. Follow the Canadian cooking theory for broiling (pages 9–10). Serve with lemon butter (page 31), parsley butter (page 33), anchovy butter (page 32), or a dill sauce (page 23).

BAKED YELLOWTAIL

Yellowtail steaks

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Chopped tarragon

Chopped parsley

Chopped chives
or
green onions

Butter

1 cup white wine

Arrange the steaks in an oiled baking dish. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with chopped tarragon, parsley, and chives or green onions. Dot with butter and add the wine to the pan. Bake at 425° according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 8). Baste with the pan juices during the cooking process. Serve with tarragon butter mixed with the juices from the pan.

Freshwater Fish

Bass

The name “bass” means different things to different people. When you think of catching or eating a bass, the way you picture the fish in your mind depends upon where you live or possibly upon the memory of your youthful experiences as an angler.

Bass is usually described by a qualifying word, such as small-mouthed, large-mouthed, spotted, striped, black, white, rock, and calico, not to mention many local names, or to reckon with the fact that some of the qualifying terms apply to the same fish or to other fishes that are not bass at all. To add to the confusion, there are some marine fishes called bass.

To simplify the matter of freshwater bass, I shall make only these generalizations: Bass are members of a large voracious family of fishes that includes the sunfish and the crappie; most bass are good game fishes; they are abundant, widely distributed, and well adapted to pond culture.

The small-mouthed bass, a lively game fish, is found in the streams and lakes of the northern and central states. It weighs from 3 to 4 pounds. The spotted bass, somewhat smaller, inhabits the same general area.

The large-mouthed bass, sometimes called a black crappie, prevails in the central and southern states. Less lively than its small-mouthed relative, it usually weighs about 3 pounds but has been known to attain very impressive weights.

The rock bass, sometimes called red-eyed or goggle-eyed, is a common game fish in the Great Lakes region, Mississippi Valley, and in eastern and southern states. It is thick-bodied, meaty, and averages about 10 inches in length. It likes shadowy spots and is actually not much of a fighter.

BROILED BASS

Small whole bass or larger ones split can be broiled and served with lemon butter (page 31), tartar sauce (pages 35–36), or any of the favorite fish sauces. Follow the directions for broiling on pages 9–10).

PAN-FRIED BASS

Small bass may be pan-fried as you would crappies (see page 322).

BAKED BASS

Clean and wash the bass, place it on an oiled baking dish, dot with butter, and season with salt and pepper. Bake at 450° according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 8). Baste the fish frequently during the cooking process.

Serve with parsley butter (page 33), lemon butter (page 31), or with your favorite fish sauce.

Bluegill Sunfish

Most states prohibit commercial fishing of the bluegill sunfish, reserving it for the benefit of sportsmen. It is a delightful pond fish, highly prolific, and has been artificially propagated over a wide area. The flesh is firm, flaky, and of good flavor. A bluegill rarely weighs over 1 pound, but it is game for its size and fairly amusing as a sport fish.

Occasionally you may hear anglers refer to the bluegill and to other sunfishes as “bream,” a name that is also applied sometimes to such unrelated saltwater fishes as ocean perch or rosefish, and to porgy or scup. At any rate, the bluegill sunfish and any freshwater fish called bream may be cooked by following the recipes for crappies (page 322).

Bowfin

The bowfin is a prehistoric holdover. It sometimes breathes air, a faculty it developed in the Devonian period when severe droughts made life tough for fish. In fact, it is claimed that when droughts occur in the South, live bowfins can go underground and breathe air.

The bowfin is practically never prepared fresh. It needs much careful attention and skilled cookery. Smoked bowfin is superb. It should be approached with a good appetite.

Buffalo Fish

There are different varieties of this fish in the Middle West — the common buffalo, sometimes called the redmouth and the bigmouth; the round or prairie buffalo, also called the rooter; and the small-mouthed buffalo.

This fish is less bony than the carp and has an excellent flavor. Many people prefer it to carp, feeling that the somewhat musty taste of the latter is unpleasant.

A great deal of smoked buffalo fish is available in the East and Middle West. It is more delicate than smoked carp and a delicious change in the smoked fish field.

You may prepare buffalo fish in the same way you prepare carp.

Burbot

The burbot is the one freshwater member of the cod family. It has a slight beard and fins that resemble those of the cusk. Burbot liver oil is one of the most valuable sources of vitamin A, and the fish itself is fine eating. It is found in northern waters.

Prepare burbot in any of the ways suggested for cod or haddock.

Carp

This fish has a splendid literary background. There are many references to it in fables and stories, and its long history includes an Asiatic origin followed by plantings in Europe and America. American carp have been known to weigh as much as 60 pounds, and I have seen even larger ones in Europe. I remember especially a magnificent carp that I saw fished out of a pond on an estate in France. After it had been cooked and wonderfully decorated, it was placed on a plank. It was so large that it took two maids, carrying it between them, to bring it to us.

Carp are sometimes transported to market in tanks. Some are sold filleted, and pieces are occasionally available, but the usual thing is to find the carp whole. It is a very scaly fish and should be carefully prepared. Some people object to its rather muddy flavor. This can be overcome by the seasoning and by bleeding the fish completely before cleaning it.

CARP FILLET, SPENCER METHOD

Mary Evelene Spencer, who was a government food expert many years ago, developed a form of fish cookery that has been known since as the Spencer Method. Any fillets may be cooked this way, but I think that it applies particularly well to the carp. The following recipe is for four people.

Cut 4 fillets of carp into serving portions. Fill a shallow pan with salted milk and a large flat plate with dry bread crumbs. Dip the fillets into the milk and then into the crumbs, being sure that the crumbs cover both sides of the fish. Lay the fillets on a well-buttered baking sheet and pour 3 tablespoons of melted butter or bacon fat on each one. Heat the oven to 550° and place the pan near the top of the oven. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the fillets to a hot platter and serve with quarters of lemon or tartar sauce (pages 35–36).

This method is intended to achieve a fine crust on the outside and tender moist fish inside. You’ll find it is amazingly good.

OVEN-BRAISED CARP FILLETS PROVENÇALE

2 medium onions, coarsely chopped

Oil

4 carp fillets

Flour

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 cup chopped parsley

Dried thyme

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup red wine

Tomato sauce (about 1 cup)

18 to 20 ripe olives

Steamed rice

Place the onions on a well-oiled baking pan. Dip the fillets in flour and arrange them on the onions. Sprinkle with the garlic, parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper. Add the wine, and then drizzle olive oil all over the fish. Top each fillet with 3 tablespoons of tomato sauce. Bake at 425° according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 8), basting often with the wine in the pan. Remove to a hot serving platter. Blend the sauce in the pan with 3 or 4 more tablespoons of tomato sauce and add the ripe olives. Pour the sauce around the fish and serve with steamed rice.

CARPE AU BLEU

The small fish are sometimes cooked like trout, in a vinegar and water bouillon. Serve them with melted butter, sauce gribiche (pages 36–37), or vinaigrette (page 36) and a boiled potato.

ALSATIAN CARP WITH SAUERKRAUT

4 pounds sauerkraut

4 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper

4 cups beer

4 carp fillets

Flour

Butter
or
bacon fat

Grated Gruyère
or
Cheddar cheese

Sour cream

Buttered crumbs

Steam the sauerkraut mixed with the garlic, black pepper, and beer for 4 to 6 hours in a covered dish over low heat.

Flour the fillets and sauté them in butter or bacon fat according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 10).

Arrange a layer of the sauerkraut in the bottom of a well-buttered baking dish, then add a layer of grated cheese, then a layer of the fish covered with sour cream; repeat these layers and top with a layer of the kraut. Add 2 cups of beer or liquid from the sauerkraut, sprinkle with grated cheese and buttered crumbs. Dot with butter and bake at 350° for 30 minutes.

BAKED CARP, HUNGARIAN STYLE

4-pound carp

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Paprika

2 large onions, thinly sliced

4 to 6 tablespoons fat

Oil

Sour cream

Clean and prepare the carp for baking. Season the inside with the salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon of paprika.

Sauté the onions in fat until they are just tender but not colored. Spread them on the bottom of a well-oiled baking dish and place the carp on top. Brush the fish with oil, sprinkle heavily with paprika, cover with sour cream, and sprinkle again with paprika. Bake at 450° according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 8).

Serve with buttered noodles mixed with poppy seeds and sprinkled with a little grated cheese.

BRAISED CARP MEXICAN

4-to-6-pound carp

2 medium onions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

5 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons chili powder

1/2 cup chicken broth
or
white wine

Salt

Sesame seeds

Chopped buttered almonds

Clean, scale, and split the fish and remove the backbone.

Sauté the onions and garlic in the oil until soft and lightly colored. Add the chili powder and the broth or wine, salt to taste, and blend well.

Place the fish on a well-oiled baking dish or pan, spread the chili-onion mixture over the flesh of the fish, and brush with oil. Bake at 425° according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 8). Sprinkle with sesame seeds and the chopped almonds. Run under the broiler for 3 or 4 minutes to brown the seeds and nuts. Serve with cornmeal mush crisply fried with salt pork or bacon.

CARPE DE CAHORS

This is a delicious recipe from my friend Madame Pannetrat.

3-pound carp

3-egg omelet fines herbes (parsley, chives, tarragon, or your own choice)

Chopped shallots
or
scallions

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 cup white wine

1 cup cream

3 egg yolks

Clean and split the carp.

Prepare the omelet and roll it into the fish as stuffing. Sew up the carp and place it on a bed of chopped shallots or onions in a well-oiled baking dish. Salt and pepper the fish and add the wine. Bake at 425° according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 8). Remove the fish to a hot platter and take out the string or thread that you used to secure it. Strain the pan juices and force the onion through a fine sieve or a food processor. Reduce the juices slightly and add the cream mixed with the egg yolks; stir until thick but do not let it boil. Taste for seasoning and pour the sauce around the fish.